Animated decoy and actuating mechanism therefor



Aug, 30, 1949. P@ THOMPSON 2,480,390

ANIMATED DECOY AND ACTUATING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed July 5, 1947Sheets-sheer 1 A\ 1g 30,1949 P. D. THOMPSON ANIMATED DECOY ANDACTUATIING MECHANISM THEREFOR yFiled July lz, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Atto rneys Patented Aug. 30, 1949 v 1im'Indurain'innooYAND;l @nieuwe'MECHANISMTHIEEFOR l 'llhsinvention-irelatesito-ananimated decoy -foruse especially in hunting andhfasparticular refmerenceftofabuoyant-decoy foruse in the water aandfprovided-With actuating: meansfor simulat- 4ingfrthe:normal movement of a bird, representedfbyvtheadecoybody; and for propelling the decoy l:to re'aiisticallyLsimulate a swimming movement yofitalien-'birdon the Waterfor morereadilyattractwingnwild .abirds offthelt-ype simulated by the decoyctozthedecoyiand tocwithin range of a hunter.

More particularly, 'it iis anobject of the present invention ftofprovidea hollow decoy body of sub- "-.s12aritially.rigid Waterproofconstruction, having a head, tail and Wing portions movabiy mountedwithrrrespectftothe-remainder of the body and .actuatingmeansforsimultaneously moving said n p arts toffvery realisticallysimulate'A the movement -oif;a-bird,' suchas a duckfwhile-feeding onvvthe surface: of 1 'as-body of Water.

Stilllrgaeffurther object l of "the invention is to provide :a:mechanical actuating' means ofv eX- vf-tremely simpleffconstructionhaving connections therefrom tothe head, tail and Wings ci the decoy-`body-:for simultaneously actuatingrsaid parts'fto-hingedlyiieonneetedithe to-lat a; adjacent theforrealisticallyjsimulate the normal 'action of `a WildVbind;represented by the decoy.

Sti-ll'affurther object of the invention is to provideuannanimateddecoyfespecially adapted for @use 'as :aa-duck decoy .and in' connectionwith the hunting ,'-of' willdducks, 'the body-portion of which agmaygbeof l a-shape; size, configuration and colori Iing to realisticallyrepresent Aany desired f species of duck rand'Y the animated portionv ofwhich and '@Giliatingcmeansztherefor:are capable of being readily.'assembledto produce an eiilcientand3v v:durable device, and which iscapable of being economically manufactured and sold.'

"Various-other' objects and advantages of Athe Ainventionwillhereinafter become more 'fully'apparent-from then following descriptionof the draw- Y ingsfillustrating a preferred embodiment' thereof, andWherein.-

Figure A1 is aside elevationaly View," partly in vverticalisection ofthe" decoy;`

Figure-f2 is a top `plan view'thereof;

Figure-Sisa cross'sectionalrview taken-'subsiaantially.along aplaneA asindicated bythe line ,3L-.-3-offFigure 1, and

Figure 4 lisa-perspective View ofthe actuating mechanism of the-decoy.'-

Reterrfing more particularly'fftoithe drawings, ,-theuimprovedanimatedvdecoy" in its entirety is designated-generally 5 andinthefembodimentof ,theinvention asfillustrated,fincludes ay decoy body,Adesignated :generally-i5` :which 'isf-shaped? toesimul-;engagedffoaiutnefiremainderlfofithe body'. ati a .point 19l'aroundftheneckandlon the plane of fthe aix-is bf'thehig 81'@ Thisisep'aatioribetween fthe :imaineporton'fo ther'bdyv'iand the "head 1 is".covefedbyia -reIati'velywide-bandl 0- of a'f flexible andiWaterproofed lmaterialgiand which S^secur`datfiitsIuppeif-.edgeito"thhead 1 vand at' its E-loii/er edge ftotherbody6; :bexowth' severanee' 1 liner andYifhasSufficientslack-ftl'ierebetweenA topermit a for-'-rwa'irdl1andrretenirWardorlupxivard andi downward swingingmovemerit'of'the head T oni the pivot 18,

. as will hreinafter'be'f described.

w ThebodylGisffalsoprovided with av tail l r which #ist spairate'dyfrom'the''rerriander of' Asaidlbody f2 along l"a 1ine"il2"and' Whichlseverance v'fis flikewise r: disposdfiria wide bandorstr'ipfofWaterproofed, 4flexibletrnaterial -1I13,-"-1wiiich=is secured -at-"itsside l ,edges` forwardlylandrrearwardlylof the severance yI 2f:andfwhich has" sufficient slackt" permit the :taiilfll itoswingzlateally"relatively to thefre f-mainde'r fof the fbod-y 6."

f-Portions*foi-the` `side fofthe' body '6 are fnormally ycoveredby:flaps'ffl 4 and'15' which are shaped to -simulatefwings and which-arehingedlyrconne'cted adiae'entftheinupper?longitudinaifedge"ny-hinges1iiytoitheffbody: and=eXte`rnally thereof; so Y hat the wings i4 and I5may swing rfoutwa'rdlyrand upwardly :with `respect yto the" body 'fromtheir foldedpositiori'sf ofl'igures 1-. andZ; totheir raised ,45eoriffextended positions asf'seen in-Figfti're 3.

' lheebodyfsXisfpreferablyl also 'provided with" a trap .doorfllY:inthetopfthereof and whichz is hinged-lyconnected*to 'the-"body,`adjacent its for- -Wa17d edgeebyfathd internally' disposed i'hin'gesw i8,

.150 @and Which-is provided'toiaffordaccess to 'the holits top upwardlyin to the body 6 and is adapted to contain any suitable motor means orprime mover, as for example, a small variable speed electric motor 2D,which is provided with a rearwardly extending driven shaft 2|, having apulley 22 keyed thereto. The electric motor 20 may be connected to anysuitable source of electric current, such as a battery contained withinthe hollow body 6 or may be connected to an externally disposed sourceof electric current 23, as illustrated, by electrical conductors 24 and25, which are enclosed within a flexible, waterproofed tubing 26 andwhich extend from the motor 20 rearwardly thereof within the hollow body6 and outwardly through an opening lined with a compressed gromrnet 21of rubber or other suitable material to afford a liquid seal around thecovering 26 and around the opening of the body 6 through which saidgrommet '2l extends.

A drive shaft 28 is disposed longitudinally within the hollow 4body 6and is journalled in bearing portions or openings 29 of three elongatedbars cr brackets 30, 3| and 32, as best seen in Figure 4. The bars orbrackets 3D, 3| and 32 are provided with rearwardly turned, aperturedends 33 which are secured to the sides of the body B by suitablefastenings 34 and for supporting said bearing bars or bracketstransversely of the body 6.

The drive shaft 28 is provided with a forward end 35 which is bent at aright angle to the axis of said shaft and which is provided with anenlarged, flat terminal portion 36 which is apertured to form a bearingfor an angularly disposed end 3l of a connecting rod 38, which extendsupwardly therefrom and which is provided with angularly disposed upperend 39, positioned at a right angle to the end 31 and which isjournalled in an opening of one leg of an L-shaped bracket 4D. The otherleg of the bracket 40 is fastened to the inner side of the rear portionof the head 'l above and adjacent the severance line, and it will bereadily apparent that the shaft end 35 forms a crank for accomplishingthe rocking movement of the head 1, previously described, when the shaft28 is revolved.

Between the forward bearing bar 3|) and the intermediate bearing bar 3|,the shaft 28 is provided with two oppositely disposed cranks 4| and 42.As best seen in Figure 3, the Wings I4 and l5 are provided on theirinner sides with brackets i3 and 44 which are pivotally connected to the.-emote ends of a pair connecting rods 45 and 46, respectively. Theconnecting rods 45 and 46 entend inwardly from the brackets 43 and 44lcosely through openings 41 and 48 in the sides the body 6 andl havebearing portions 49 and di respectively, at their inner ends, which arejournalled on the cranks 4| and 42, respectively. The bearing portions49 and 50 preferably include leather bushings, not shown, or other meansto eliminate noise.

Rearwardly of and adjacent the intermediate bearing bar 3 I, the driveshaft 28 is provided with a relatively large pulley which is preferablydisposed directly above the pulley 22 and which is connected thereto byan endless belt 52. The grooves of the pulleys 22 and 5| are preferablyV-shaped in cross section and the belt 52 is likewise preferably ofV-shaped cross section. The pulleys 22 and 5| may be formed of oiltreated wood which will not absorb moisture.

The drive shaft 28, adjacent its rear end and rearwardly of the rearmostbearing bar 32, is provided with a relatively elongated eccentric 53 4which loosely engages in a longitudinally elon-v gated slot 54 of a bar55 which is disposed vertically within the rear portion of the body 6and which is provided with rearwardly turned apertured ends 56 which arepivotally connected to fastenings`51, internally of and at the top andbottom of the body 6. The bar 55 is provided, between the slot 54 andits pivoted end 56 with a pair of rearwardly projecting and rearwardlyconverging struts 58 and 59 which extend into the tail and which joinadjacent their rear ends. One of said struts is provided with anextension 60 which is apertured to pivotally engage a fastening 6| inthe tail Referring to Figure 3, the openings 41 and 48 are preferablysealed by flexible, waterproofed boots 62 which are fastened at theirenlarged ends to the outer side of the body 6 and around said openings4'! and 48 and which extend outwardly therefrom and are fastened attheir restricted ends to the rods 45 and 46, adjacent the brackets 43and 44.

The hollow body 6 may be provided with a line attaching eye 63, disposedexternally thereof, preferably forwardly of and adjacent the motorcompartment |9 and to which one end of a flexible member or line 64 isadapted to be secured. The opposite end of the line or flexible member64 may be fastened in any suitable manner to a post or other anchoringmeans driven into a body of water in which the decoy 5 is to be used fortethering the decoy thereto and for permitting the movement of the decoyaround said post and within a limited arc.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that when the motor 2|]is energized to drive its shaft 2|, that the shaft 28 will be rotatedthereby and at a relatively decreased speed by the connection of thebelt 52 to the pulleys 22 and 5| of the shafts 2| and 28, respectively.As the shaft 28 revolves, the head wings I4 and 5 and tail are moved inunison. For example, as the shaft 28 turns from its position of Figure1, its crank end 35 will move the connecting rod 38 upwardly for rockingthe decoy head forwardly and downwardly and back to its position ofFigure 1, as the shaft completes one revolution. At the sa-me time, thecranks 4! and 42 will each execute one complete revolution through theinitial degrees of which, the wings |4 and I5 will be swung outwardly ontheir pivots I6 by the outward movement of the connecting rods 45 and46, and during the last half of which revolution, said wings will bereturned to their initial, folded positions of Figure 1. Likewise,during each revolution of the drive shaft 28, the eccentric 53 willexecute a complete revolution relatively to the slots 54 for firstswinging the bar 55 laterally in one direction from its intermediateposition, back to its intermediate position, then laterally in the otherdirection and back to an intermediate position, so as to cause the tailto likewise swing from an intermediate position laterally in onedirection, back to an intermediate position and then laterally in theother direction and finally back to its original, intermediate position.This movement of the head, tail and wings will very realisticallysimulate the action of a duck swimming on the water, and while feeding,and the decoy will be propelled in the water by this sculling movementof the tail previously described. As previously mentioned, the tetheringmember 64 will restrict the area in which the decoy 5 may move, forretaining it within easy gun range of hunters located in a blind orother shooting positions,

not shown, and wherein the electric source 23, which may constitute astorage battery, can be retained.

In view of the relative size of the pulleys 22 and 5l, it will bereadily obvious that the motor 20 may be driven at a relatively highspeed for readily accomplishing the animated action of the decoy 5, aspreviously described.

Various modifications and [changes are `contemplated and may obviouslybe resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention as hereinafter dei-ined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An animated decoy of the character described, comprising a hollowbuoyant decoy body having a head anda tail each flexibly connectedthereto and externally disposed wings, hingedly connected adjacent theirupper edges to the sides of the body, a driven shaft journalled in thebody and longitudinally thereof and provided with a plurality of cranks,connecting rods connecting the head and each of the wings to said cranksfor causing a bobbing movement of the head and a flapping movement ofthe wings, when said shaft is revolved, and eccentric means forming aconnection between said shaft and the tail for causing a laterallyswinging movement of the tail relatively to the body and in unison withthe movement of the head and wings.

2. An animated decoy as in claim 1, said eccentric means including a barpivotally mounted adjacent its upper and lower ends to the top andbottom portions of the decoy body and provided with an elongated,longitudinally disposed opening, a strut member extending rearwardlyfrom said bar and having a rear portion extending into and connected tothe tail, and said driven shaft having an eccentrically disposedenlargement for engaging said elongated opening to cause the bar andstrut to swing transversely of the decoy body when the shaft isrevolved.

3. An animated decoy comprising a hollow buoyant decoy body having ahead flexibly connected thereto and externally disposed wings swingablyconnected adjacent their upper edges to the sides of the decoy body, adriven shaft journaled in the body longitudinally thereof and providedwith a plurality of cranks, and connecting rods connecting the head andeach of the wings to said cranks for causing a bobbing movement of thehead and a flapping movement of the wings when said shaft is revolved.

VPAUL D. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 443,991 Ellis Jan. 6, 1891547,553 Keller Oct. 8, 1895 '776,905 Green Dec. 6, 1904 901,339 GrantOct. 20, 1908 1,446,816 Taylor et a1. Feb. 27, 1923 1,561,373 Sweet Nov.10, 1925 2,003,193 I-Iirose May 28, 1935 2,100,623 Bates Nov. 30, 19372,443,040 Jones June 8, 1948

